How an ACN Meeting Lead to Support for Ukraine by Maria Billings

 

Art Cloth Network members meeting in Texas, 2022

From April 3 to 6, 2022, I met Art Cloth Network (ACN) members for the first time in person at our annual conference in Austin, TX. Besides seeing wonderful art cloth, we also heard about additional group activities, some of them were new to me and I decided to join the “Art Installation” group which meets online roughly every two months.

As Connie Tiegel, a founding ACN member, writes: “Art Installations are not new. Artists have been leaving them for others to find since cave paintings expressed the joy of being alive or the beauty surrounding the artist. Art Installations' job is to bring awareness to certain objects or ideas.”

So, in April 2022 at the ACN conference, I hand-stitched this abstracted Chamomile (National flower of Russia) and Sunflower (national flower of Ukraine). Then, I temporarily installed them and photographed them as proof that this temporary art installation really existed. Travel in the US and Europe provided many opportunities for photos of other installations and they are collected in my book Chamomile-Sunflower Friendship.

Hand-stitching the flowers

First temporary installation, Austin, TX, 2022

Why? - When the Russian army invaded Ukraine, I felt almost paralyzed by the events but I do not want to give any dictator so much power over me. So I asked myself: What can I do? - This book is the answer. Due to traveling and visiting both Russia and Ukraine, I have friends in both countries. I want to resist the political polarization and emphasize the need to support our friendships. They deserve to be nurtured. This book contains many quotes about friendship and shows the Sunflower and Chamomile art quilts in the US, the Netherlands, Germany, and Italy. The book concludes with a "How to" page on the technical details of painting and stitching.

If Amazon sells 50 copies or more in two weeks, then they promote the book and it can reach more interested buyers. To support this, I’ll send or give little gifts to the first 50 buyers who purchase the book on Amazon within two weeks. 

ALL profits will go to those who suffer from this war.  Click here for a link to Amazon to purchase the book for $19.50.

Chamomile-Sunflower Friendship is available on Amazon for $19.50.